Homeowners in eclipse path cash in as hotels fill up

Earlier this year, Jenni Burke listed her Madras home on Airbnb for a long weekend in August. Not long after she agreed to lease it to a Portland family, she booked her own trip with a group of friends at a stunning Italian villa.

It hardly seems fair to compare the 10,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom house in Florence, with its private garden and elevator, to Burke's cozy two-bedroom home.

But each went for the same rate: $1,100 a night.

"In what universe does our little house in the middle of nowhere go for the same price as this gorgeous Florentine villa?" she said.

The cosmic explanation is a matter of location and timing. Florence might have given birth to the Renaissance, but Madras has its own singular appeal as possibly the best spot in the country for viewing the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. Madras sits in the center of the "path of totality" -- a band about 60 miles wide that also crosses cities like Lincoln City, Salem and Baker City -- and the view will benefit from the high desert's reliably clear skies.

Burke is not the only one cashing in. Airbnb said 4,600 guests have booked lodgings in private Oregon homes that sit in the eclipse's path, which is five times what it normally reserves on a typical summer weekday. Prices average $232 a night. HomeAway, another vacation-rental website, said bookings in McMinnville had more than doubled, with its rentals averaging $500 a night.

Jenni Burke is renting out her Madras home on Airbnb for this first time during August's total solar eclipse. Courtesy of Jenni Burke

Oregon officials guess as many as 1 million people could converge on communities in the path of totality for what could be a once-in-a lifetime event. It's been nearly four decades since the last one crossed the state, and the next one doesn't happen till 2108.

Hotels and motels within its path naturally booked up quickly.

"We're sold out," said Mary Pat Parker, the executive director of Visit Corvallis, "and it's been that way for a long while."

People started booking hotel rooms more than two years ago, she said, long before most Oregonians were even aware of the eclipse, which will first be visible here before crossing the entire continent.

The demand was so strong that a handful of hotels canceled early bookings or jacked up rates. The ensuing complaints prompted the Oregon Department of Justice to investigate 12 hotels. Under pressure, most of them agreed to honor the original booking or give the customer $500. Then Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum took the additional step of warning every hotel within the eclipse's path that failing to honor advertised prices would violate state law.

Hotel rooms are going fast even in Portland, well outside the path of totality. Travel Portland, the city's convention and visitors bureau, said it expects most if not all hotel rooms in the city to be sold out the night before the eclipse.

But buyer beware: Portland will only see a 99 percent eclipse. Though the remainder might not seem like much, eclipse watchers say the difference is profound. That sliver casts just enough light to obscure the sun's atmosphere, called the corona, which is one of the highlights of a total solar eclipse. And those who travel to see the total eclipse will need to battle heavy traffic.

With hotels full up, more ad hoc accommodations came online to fill the void. Oregon State University opened its dorms to eclipse viewers, but they're now mostly taken. The Corvallis parks department divided a 125-acre park into $200 campsites. About one-third remain.

The exterior of Rhonda Vandehey's vacation rental near Corvallis. The rental was booked 14 months ago for August's total solar eclipse.Courtesy of Rhonda Vandehey

Rhonda Vadehey, a longtime Airbnb host who rents out a converted garage on her property a mile outside of Corvallis, said she booked the space 14 months ago.

"She was our first call about it," she said of the client. "Back then, we were thinking, 'Wow, that's good planning.' Now, it's gone crazy."

At the time, the eclipse was barely on Vandehey's radar, and she rented the room for its usual rate of $115 a night -- less than she would for a Beavers football game.

Since then, Vandehey has heard about the mini-windfalls others are commanding for their homes or spare rooms. But she has no regrets.

"We probably are losing out, but I'd rather somebody have a good experience than pay $500, $700," she said. "It's not like the carpets are lined with gold or anything like that."

The interior of Rhonda Vandehey's vacation rental near Corvallis. The rental was booked 14 months ago for August's total solar eclipse.Courtesy of Rhonda Vandehey

In Jefferson, a hayfield that David Young's father-in-law once hoped to turn into a golf course will be opened to campers for $175 a night, or $375 for three nights.

Young said he hadn't heard about the eclipse until about a month ago, when he read the state had auctioned 30 campsites online for $60,000. His family decided to divide the site into 290 campsites and started taking reservations online.

He said about 50 campsites have been snapped up so far, with inquiries from up and down the West Coast. But interest is picking up, he said.

"It's definitely accelerating," Young said. "People are starting to scramble to reserve sites. Now that August is (here), people are getting home from vacations and starting to look forward to trying to see this thing."

Parker, of Visit Corvallis, said she receives phone calls daily from residents who want to rent out their homes, though neither Visit Corvallis nor the city has a way to track how many have done it.

It's not just tourists paying to stay in town. Parker said a Corvallis man came to the tourism bureau's office to buy 18 pairs of eclipse glasses -- one for each family member who will be visiting during the eclipse.

"A lot of people are expecting friends and family from all over the United States," Parker said.

The expanded capacity for tourists will likely be a blessing and a curse, said Parker, who is spending the run-up to the eclipse coordinating with emergency response agencies.

On the one hand, the influx means a one-time bonanza for local businesses.

But it's going to be hard on residents, who might encounter trouble running even routine errands. The emergency agencies are advising residents to fill prescriptions, stock up on food and fill up gas tanks the Wednesday before the eclipse to avoid the crowds.

"We're all aware there's going to be a lot of people here," she said. "What we want to do is welcome people to our area, treat them well and not have them be frustrated."